BALI, Indonesia, November 1, 2010 (Stratosphere) — Chasing an adrenaline rush? A physical workout to get your blood pumping? Or how about a meditative stroll to relish the fresh outdoor air? Bali has something to satisfy across the spectrum. Learn from scratch any one of an array of sports and activities on the island, or jump right in and go for it!

Bali is famed for its surfing and with excellent reason: the island is fringed by fabulous breaks (and beaches) suited for learners right through to experienced wave riders searching for that elusive perfect tube. Newbies shouldn’t feel intimidated: plenty of schools will take them through their paces.

As an orange orb dips and melts into the horizon across a vast Indian Ocean, a DJ plays a set to an adoring, happy crowd alive on life, energy and music. At Karma Kandara’s Nammos Beach Club, this kind of special evening isn’t a rarity any more; it’s fast becoming a norm as the focus on music at Karma resorts ramps up with the spectacular Nammos in Bali the focal point.

Ever eaten a meal at a restaurant, vaguely aware that something is wrong, and then suddenly realised that it’s the lack of music making everyone slightly uncomfortable amid the clinking of cutlery? Or worse still, ever been driven out of a bar because you just can’t bear the music they’re playing?

BALI, Indonesia, September 1, 2010 (Travel & Leisure Southeast Asia) — They work in sumptuous surrounds, dream up gourmet menus and plate perfectly executed dishes with panache. But where do Bali’s top chefs go in their time off? Here, we ask five for their favorite local eats. By SAMANTHA BROWN

WILL MEYRICK | Sarong

Will Meyrick, the Australian talent behind Seminyak’s salubrious Southeast Asian eatery Sarong (sarongbali.com), is famous for his menus inspired by the region’s street food. It’s no surprise, then, that he favors local Javanese joint Kolega (Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak; 62-852/3794-9778; lunch for two 50,000 rupiah). “It’s an East-meets-West type of place, where the people eating range from Indonesian office workers to local expats getting their rendang fixes,” he says. His dish of choice? The perkedel, or Indonesian croquettes, made of potato and beef or fish dipped in egg white, then deep-fried to achieve a crispy skin; he even serves up his own take, using Wagyu beef, at Sarong.

They say too many cooks spoil the broth, but at beachside Allspice, the in-house restaurant at the Royal Santrian, quite the opposite is happening: Three accomplished Indonesian chefs, each with their own special focus, are creating five-star cuisine worthy of attention.

Let’s start with the setting: A restaurant with views of both foam-topped Tanjung Benoa surf, parasails curling in the distance, and the Royal Santrian’s own shimmering pool. A separate teppanyaki bar is perched closest to the beach. Allspice is decorated in tasteful, sumptuous, breezy Asian style. It’s a good beginning.

BALI, Indonesia, 1 September 2010 (Karma Chronicles) — Ellie Sand, practising shaman, channel medium and alchemical astrologer, visited Karma Jimbaran a few years ago in a bid to re-harmonise the beautiful Balinese coastal land it was built on.

“There was then a very large open quarry next to the resort. The energy of the resort was draining into the quarry and not staying in the resort, so I stopped the drainage and put the energy back into the resort,” Ellie tells me during an interview from the Canary Islands. “I also released some trapped souls that were there.”

BALI, August 2010 (HELLO BALI) — Enigmatic no matter what the season, Bali cranks up a gear in August, one of the Hindu island’s busiest times. The challenge is not to find something to do, nor a fabulous place to hang your kaftan; it’s successfully whittling down the enormous list of possibilities to a few manageable items.

Got your swimmers? Sunscreen? Sunnies? Sarong? Then you’re pretty much set so hold on as we whisk you around the island, highlighting some of the choice places either to beat a retreat to or show off your glamorous threads.

Kick off in the bustling Kuta/Seminyak area, where thumping bars, gourmet restaurants and designer shops vie for the attention of the crowds. Don’t miss a meal at Cocoon, the new minimalist offering on Double Six – think day beds, pool with butler service, and sprawling sunset surf views. We’d also put organic-focussed Chandi on our must-eat list, as well as sumptuous Sarong, marvellous Metis and a swing by old Spanish favourite La Sal. Breakfast or coffee favs include Zucchini and The Tuckshop, both on Jalan Laksmana.

Make the most of Bali’s family-friendly offerings with these insider tips from local kids

With its amazing geography and fascinating culture, Bali poses a unique challenge for visiting families. Rather than finding activities everyone wants to do, the difficulty is whittling down the list to just a few select items to squeeze into a tropical holiday.

We asked three children who live on the island for their recommendations. A little local knowledge, after all, is always the key to an exceptional travel experience.

The love affair Australia shares with Indonesia’s Bali stretches back decades to when the island first started registering on surfer, and then tourist, radars. Palm-lined Kuta Beach, now the bustling epicentre of tourism on the island, was a tranquil spot with simple huts for sleeping, warungs for eating, and not much else besides.

Like any romance, the Australia-Bali affair has been a rollercoaster ride, but now the relationship is in full, beautiful bloom. As of 2009, more Australians are travelling to the island than any other nationality, while Indonesia is now Australia’s number two travel destination, with most arrivals landing directly on the Island of the Gods.

And while it might be hard work traipsing the tropical streets of Bali to unearth finds from the following labels, the sweetener is you’ll often snare the very same piece for a fraction of the price it will sell on international shelves once it’s exported.

In between easing slices of fuchsia watermelon onto his flaming grill, warming a roast tomato soup and popping a pappadum, Nutmegs’ chef de cuisine Philip Mimbimi at Nutmegs, the in-house restaurant at Bali institution Hu’u, has a few secrets and tips to share.

When he’s dining out at a new restaurant, for instance, he routinely likes to order the Caesar salad and the carbonara. “That’s like my test of a restaurant. If you can’t make a decent Caesar salad, then that shows the quality of the rest of the kitchen,” he says, adding that a restaurant needs to put its own unique twist or touch to the dish.